So Close, Yet So Far
by Airrei
Summary: ShizuoxIzaya. Neither of them realized that it was their enemy that was actually behind the locked door, that they were always sitting next to each other. So naturally, neither of them knew who they were starting to have feelings for...


ShizuoxIzaya …mild IzayaxHumans

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**So Close, Yet So Far**

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_Couldn't we have met any other way?_

Perhaps that thought would never cross either of their minds, both so filled with strong dislike for each other. Yet, without realizing that option was still possible, they would continue to fight day after day.

…

Shizuo was always curious about why the door to the school's rooftop was always locked. There wasn't any particular rule about not being able to go up there, but he didn't really bother to dig into it further. He did not have a habit of poking his nose where it didn't belong, but the polished handle compared to the dusty, rusted frame of the door had caught his attention. There was a possibility that someone still had the key.

It was fine, though. Shizuo only wanted silence. He wanted to be completely alone, and he slumped down against the door, preferring the dark stairways over the crowded classrooms. Shinra and Kadota had invited him over to eat his lunch with them long ago, but the prospect of meeting the flea bastard put him off a great deal. The blonde wanted to eat his meal in peace, not pieces. That was why he chose to climb the gloomy staircases ever since he found out where they were. Though now that he thought about it, he hadn't actually seen Izaya much during the break period. It didn't surprise anyone, for they would all think the kibitzer was just plotting again.

At times, Shizuo still sort of wished he could have the key to the lock. Fresh air and clear sky would be so much better than the smell of old paint and flaking alloy. Not to mention any scenery would beat the disturbing graffiti fading on the concrete walls. The blonde highschooler could have easily got what he wanted, for a simple frame couldn't possibly withstand against his abnormal strength. It was the simple thought of wanting to be an ordinary boy that made him think about something normal like keys. Breaking school property and the usage of his hated violence was a natural response of his disobeying body which seemed to run like a programmed security system whenever someone pissed him off. By now it had learned what to do whenever a certain brunette crossed his path, but otherwise people got about an extra ten seconds.

One of the few who used those seconds successfully was his childhood friend, Shinra, who would rather risk his life than miss an opportunity to see the blonde in action. Though the science fanatic would speak rather exasperatedly about the dispute between his two 'friends', his eyes would always gleam in an eerie light every time the fighting began. Maybe if either of them were to actually die, he wanted what was left for whatever he was plotting in his lab at the moment. Or not. It was probably just a trick of the light over his glasses.

Shizuo rustled through his plastic bag, taking out a sandwich that he had managed to obtain by parting a giant crowd at the food court. All he did was walk through the cafeteria and the buzz would quiet down and move away. The blonde had to admit it was somewhat convenient, though at the same time incredibly uncomfortable. He had always noticed the students eyeing him like that, making him feel out of place wherever he went. Usually he would have a lunchbox, but his mother was busy that morning. So instead of complaining, he would dash to this place, always seated against the locked entrance. Where he felt he strangely belonged…

Taking a large bite, Shizuo sunk backwards against the dark green door, it's frame groaning heavily against his shoulders. Maybe Izaya was just an excuse to push his friends away. He could hear the relentless winds pelting against the other side, cold hands smoothing over it's coarse surface. How he wished they would reach him and smooth him over as well… Though the chill was unable to reach him, he shivered. Was he always going to have to eat alone?

A sudden sneeze on the other side of the door answered his question.

…

Izaya loves humans. He loves watching them from afar and usually from high above. There, he can see them swarm like ants on the ground, creating one being that flows like a current. No, he does not love them individually, but humans as one complete being. People may think that this love is twisted, but to him, it's quite ordinary. His heart beats for them. They make him quite amused (happy), and at times, quite disappointed (sad). They excite him over anything else, and he finds that whenever he has time, he's thinking about how to 'please' them. Also, like any lover, they have a fault. To Orihara Izaya, that fault is simply Heiwajima Shizuo, and like any controlling boyfriend, he tries to 'fix' it.

But one fault couldn't possibly stop him from loving them, and eventually, he found himself wanting to know more about them. He worked in shady ways, borderline stalker for his lovely humans, gathering any piece of information he could.

So far, it seems that humans are quite angry at him and they are having a lover's quarrel, because they have not been in contact with each other for a period of time. Izaya reckons that he teased them a bit too much, and contemplates on what else to do to them. It seems that the brunette is a masochist who thinks that their angry faces are rather cute.

Or maybe that's the only way he can show his love for them. To incite problems in everyday occurrences to provoke their interest in him. Creating drama.

Then sometimes, he gets tired of it all. Because love is committing, but full of broken promises. Dating (like organizing groups to fight each other) takes a lot of time consuming plans to make things go right, and he has to do a lot of work to save up enough money to buy humans that kind of treat.

So during every lunch break, he decides that it's okay to have his alone time, away from it all, away from all the responsibilities and mostly away from their biggest flaw that seemed to want to destroy him like white blood cells hunting down a bacteria.

That was why he even jacked the rooftop keys, creating false rumors to keep others away from the area. Though he should have known some people would be curious…or so he thought. He didn't actually consider the factor that someone might not have been informed about the rumor. Izaya couldn't know that Shizuo was that ignorant. Nor could Izaya guess the footsteps he heard on the other side of the door belonged to the blonde.

He just knew, that sometime during the changing seasons, he was no longer alone, despite the obvious barrier between the two.

And every break time, the informer would sit by the door listening to the soft footsteps growing louder and louder before it would abruptly stop and some sort of figure would scrape and slide down the other side of the metal frame. Then by the end of break, that same figure would stand back up and Izaya would listen to the fading footsteps once more, making sure that they are no longer there before returning to class himself.

At first, the brunette was curious. Who could be the one on the other side? Then, he didn't care anymore. Sometimes, there were things he didn't need to know, since there was hardly a merit to knowing it, and it was somewhat refreshing to realize he didn't know something. A mystery might have been what he needed to keep a spark in his interest.

One particularly chilly day, he made a small mistake.

Shivering in the sudden cold winds, he couldn't stop a sneeze.

…

Shizuo was surprised. He thought he heard what was clearly a human sneeze on the other side. Though he didn't rule out the fact that it could have been an especially enthusiastic wind. He wanted to call out, to say hello to someone. Though he knew if they knew who he was, they'd just run away. They always did. Then he'd lose all chances of knowing who the person with the key was.

So like how anyone would on doors, he knocked. Gently.

Izaya jumped and shuddered. The knock vibrated through him, and he turned around slowly, wondering if he should return it. He had been found out, he supposed, and the mystery person didn't seem to want to talk yet. That was fine. He didn't want them to know who he was either, since if they did, they'd figure out the source of the rumor. He knocked back twice, sharply with his white knuckle, then sat back down, back flat against the frame.

There was no answer.

Before the end of break, he heard the usual footsteps fade away slowly. Waiting the exact amount of time as usual, he too, followed suit back to their respectable classrooms.

…

_Knock. Knock._

Shizuo tested after climbing the stairs excitedly.

_Tap. Tap._

Izaya responded with his free hand, carelessly, while absorbing himself in a book.

Days went by ever since their 'meeting' and it had become a routine. Always at the beginning of break when the blonde made his way upwards, he would question the other's availability by his gentle knocking. The informer found this somewhat amusing and before he knew it, he was replying each time. Between the door they couldn't see each other, they couldn't possibly know who the other was…but somehow they grew accustomed to each other's presence.

They couldn't know…

Shizuo smiled happily, his back against the door, finally feeling at ease.

Izaya frowned slightly, his heart starting to recognize another pattern of beating.

They couldn't know…as feelings of loneliness they each hid deep down started to melt away, they started to become slightly curious. But they both knew that if the other had figured out who they were, everything would change.

And it hurt.

So they drowned themselves in this comfortable routine, knowing that it won't last forever so for now they would keep it this way.

And like they thought…one day, it had to end.

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Thank you sooo much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

Comments, critiques, anything will be really appreciated if you have the time.


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